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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: dip · fall · net · band · present · swing · spring · board

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. present — there
  3. spring — a coil
  4. net — for catching
  5. dip — to sink
  6. net — in sport
  7. swing — in golf
  8. spring — of water
  9. fall — the season
  10. board — a committee
  11. board — to get on
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. present — the time now
  14. band — a music group
  15. net — after costs
  16. band — a ring
  17. fall — to drop
  18. fall — to drop
  19. swing — music
  20. spring — the season
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. present — a gift
  24. dip — to dunk

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com